Outside storage

[Maddison]

Hi everyone, justed ordered a shed yesterday where I will be storing amongst other things is my telescope stuff. My question is what precautions should I take, will I need to cover the scopes, I’ve got a 8 inch reflected on a dob, also 127 maksutov. I’ve got my eyepiece etc kept in a wicker type box would these be ok to store in the outside shed, now it’s starting to get colder. Anyway as always many thanks in advance.

              Barry

[wetwalker]

Hi Barry I store my equipment in a shed/office outside i think some form of heating is important to make sure the temp in the shed remains above the dew point I also run a dehumidifier on auto. Dust is another problem to be aware of. All my equipment is dried before being re boxed I use plastic waterproof boxes with desiccants placed inside which are changed monthly if im in and out of the boxes a lot.

Floors ceiling door and walls are lined and insulated.

[Maddison]

Hi, thanks for that. Will have no electricity unfortunately to the shed. can get plastic waterproof boxes, is there any insulated covers perhaps anyone could recommend.

once again thanks in advance.

         Barry

[cletrac1922]

Barry

With dob mount been made of chipboard, can swell with moisture

Keep up off the floor, and plastic tarp to keep dust and dirt from gathering on the mirror

Plastic milk crate, or something similar size does the trick

John

[MarsG76]

As far as eyepieces/glass storage in a observatory is concerned, I store mine in water tight cases on shelves... I do not think that wrapping whole of everything in plastic is a good idea, since if moisture gets inside the plastic than humidity changes, you might end up with promoting the growth of fungus... I do not cover my telescopes in any way, the dobsonian is on wheels so it's raised off the floor, but that's about it.

I'd recommend that you make sure that you have plenty of ventilation in the shed...

[chiltonstar]

I seal my kit in the storage boxes (B&Q) that have a rubber seal around the top, and put silica gel sachets inside to keep the air as dry as possible (with a sealed scope like a Mak or Frac, I think it's important to have dry air inside the tube so that when you take the scope out and the temperature drops, you don't get internal condensation which can leave marks on the optics).

A 35mm film canister with a silica gel sachet inside and holes in the base, pushed into the EP 1 !/4" port helps as well, or you can buy properly made ones from FLO:- (https://www.firstlightoptics.com/dew-prevention/flo-125-2-inch-desiccant-cap.html

Chris

[Maddison]

Thanks everyone, good advice as usual.

barry

[Waldemar]

17 hours ago, Maddison said:

Hi, thanks for that. Will have no electricity unfortunately to the shed. can get plastic waterproof boxes, is there any insulated covers perhaps anyone could recommend.

once again thanks in advance.

         Barry

You do not need electricity per sé. Heating is not needed in the shed, for there will be no dew only humidity, which can be taken care of with desiccant packs or by a nice DIY project like this:

You will need road salt, two buckets, a bit of chicken wire and a stand. A portable hygrometer will also be handy.
Bore a hole in the bottom of one of the buckets. Cover this hole with netting or a wire (so the salt itself doesn’t slip out). Empty a bag of road salt into the container, and put the bucket on a stand. Another bucket goes underneath, and it must be deep enough and wide enough to catch water that is captured and drained out of the bottom of the bucket.
Through a natural process, salt condenses moisture out of the air. You can even increase the rate of dehumidification by using a fan to blow air into the bucket.
To increase the effectiveness, make sure all windows and doors are closed. Remember though, that relative humidity is controlled by temperature inside and outside. A reading in the morning may not be the same as in the evening. This means you may have to dump the bucket more in the day than at night and vice versa. Remember also that road salt can rust metals and can be detrimental to your skin.
A homemade dehumidifier can be a fun project and it may also be effective as a home dehumidifier if you can make one large enough. Of course, a homemade dehumidifier is far cheaper, too. If you’re willing to experiment and put the labor into it, this can be a fun (and energy efficient) way to dehumidify or to learn about some of the science involved.

[Maddison]

Thanks for that waldemar